A Naval lieutenant is under investigation for trying to record women shipmates when they were in the restroom of an aircraft carrier.

The 33-year-old was part of training exercises off the southern California coast when the junior officer was found holding a video device up to a ventilation grate to see inside the ladies' room.

The sailor aboard the Washington state-based John C Stennis was seen on Jan 29 by a woman who later identified him, according to a document seen by the Navy Times.

A lieutenant temporarily aboard the John C Stennis, pictured in 2004, is being investigated for allegedly filming women in the bathroom

The lieutenant reportedly said 'sorry' when he was first seen and then quickly left.

His recording device was confiscated by the ship's security after he was later found in the ship's mess cabin.

The suspected cameraman was flown off of the aircraft carrier and taken back to his normal chain of command, said spokesman Cmdr. Jeanette Groeneveld, the Kitsap Sun reported.

Pacific fleet commander Admiral Harry B Harris wrote in 2013 policy statement that any sailors found guilty of sexual harassment would be disciplined when appropriate, though exact punishments and offences were not named.

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The incident is the second such investigation in the past two months for soldiers trying to film women comrades in the bathroom.

Up to 12 people were implicated in the previous incident, where a sailor allegedly recorded his female shipmates in the shower over a period of 10 months on the USS Wyoming submarine and distributed it among his friends.

The John Stennis's commanding officer, Capt. Mike Wettlaufer, said he was 'extremely disappointed in the alleged misconduct' and noted that the lieutenant was only temporarily aboard his ship.

However, the commander said that he was pleased a member of his team took action to stop the behavior.

Military branches have come under increased scrutiny for not preventing sexual assault and harassment. Above, John C Stennis sailors in 2012 shop while stationed in the Arabian Sea

He added that the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) investigation was able to start promptly.

Military branches including the Navy have faced increased criticism in recent years for allegedly presiding over an atmosphere that discourages women from reporting harassment and sexual assault.

The Department of Defense gave a report to the White House about sexual assault prevention in December shortly after releasing news of the submarine incident and said that 'major improvements' had been made.

The report said that assaults had declined while reporting of assaults increased from 3,600 in fiscal year 2012 to nearly 6,000 in fiscal year 2014.

As of January 30, no formal charges had been filed in the USS Wyoming case.

The John C Stennis's commanding officer Capt. Michael Wettlaufer, pictured in 2013, said he was 'extremely disappointed' about the incident

Crew aboard the John C Stennis, pictured in 2011, were off of the California coast when the alleged bathroom filming incident took place